Chapter 439 - The Attack of the Rabble
Chapter 439: The Attack of the Rabble
The temporary camp was still being built.
However, the troop was still on guard. Even after the construction was completed, they still maintained a high degree of vigilance.
Everyone knew that there might be a fierce battle tonight. Since the enemy wanted to launch a sneak attack, they had long been prepared. How could they let those damn guys get what they wanted?
Everyone took a short rest in the tent, trying to get enough energy to wait for the next battle.
However, dinner was still prepared.
As usual, it was bread and dried meat, dried sausage, and fresh pork bought from the market, plus some cabbage and pumpkin, as well as a mixed vegetable cooked in a large iron pot with chickpeas.
It tasted great with a little salt and spices.
There was no way to enjoy the delicious food during the march. It was time to celebrate when they returned to the village.
There was no other way.
The sun was setting in the west, and dusk had finally arrived.
The setting sun left a long shadow, as if there was terror in it. This was the shadow of war.
“It’s coming.” Kant muttered to himself calmly.
Dusk was the best time for war. Taking advantage of the pleasure of dinner, the troop could catch the enemy off guard, or when they slept soundly in the darkness before dawn.
The desert bandits that had dispersed came back one after another. It was dinner time, and everything seemed normal.
However, on the east side, the surveillance was still going on.
There were many forests on both sides of the river. Usually, it was mostly the logging fields run by noble families and villages. However, there were occasionally mercenaries who were in need of money and disguised themselves as bandits to rob the passing villagers. If they formed a bigger group, they even dare to rob a trade caravan. This was very common.
Even the water bandits would often ambush the trade caravan in the forest, taking advantage of the night to attack the caravan camping in the wild. Some of the villagers were also spies.
The seemingly honest villagers would not let go of the opportunity to make a fortune. They would guard the dry land and live their lives. Year after year, they had to pay taxes for the noble and even daily labor. They also had to be cannon fodder during the war, it was very miserable.
No one could give up the opportunity to get better.
If they could leave the village and live in the city, it would be equivalent to having a safety net. Not only would they not have to worry about bandit attacks, but they would also not even have to pay the noble’s miscellaneous taxes.
Most importantly, if they became citizens, not only would they be able to get jobs in the city, but they would also be easier to get in touch with the nobles and rich people that they hated before. Whether it was becoming an apprentice of a craftsman or becoming a smart scholar. It was much better than this rural poor class that was still as miserable as medieval Europe.
Therefore, some villagers who wanted to live better life were also willing to accept the olive branches handed over by the bandits and become spies and spies to help them gather information.
Just like now, the group that were lying in ambush in the forest was a group of water bandits from the Resniston River. They had gathered a five large group of water bandits and wanted to make a big move.
They were all lawless fellows. Being able to be water bandits on the river and being besieged by the water armies of the human countries, they had survived quite well. It was related to the secret collusion of some noble families, but more importantly, it was the savagery of these water bandits.
After this raid, they could escape to other places on the Resniston River for two years and enjoy themselves. It would be a great pleasure.
In particular, according to some villagers who acted as spies, a group of 50 carriages full of treasures was about to pass by. These water bandits were prepared in the shortest amount of time.
In order to arrange an escape route, they had to curry favor with some of their own backers. They even invited troops led by real knights from the silver platter kingdom.
Fifty carriages full of treasures. This was a message passed down from the upper-class noble of the East County. It was said that a lord had led his troops to defeat a certain sect. Of course, it had nothing to do with them, this group of ruthless water bandits who had no concept of a country did not care about who was who.
They didn’t even care about the Countess of the East County and the Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo. They only cared about silver coins and golden eagles.
They did not care about anyone who fled to the river outside of Resniston River and became a landlord or a wealthy citizen.
These were 50 carriages full of treasures. They were worth at least five million great silver coins or more.
Based on the 6,000 people they had gathered, even if a few water bandit leaders and the nobles who colluded in the Silver Platter Kingdom wanted to split the majority, the rest would still be able to get around 500 great silver coins.
If more people died, then the amount of money they would get would be correspondingly more!
One had to know that a landowner who owned 50 arcs of land would only get around 30 great silver coins a year.
Even a well-run small-to-medium-sized trade caravan could only earn around 100 great silver coins a year.
Look at the elite cavalry of Castle of Leo who escorted Kant to the Oasis Lookout. They were willing to risk their lives for 2 great silver coins per person. Of course, this was also related to Kant’s methods. However, the salary of 50 small silver coins a month was indeed too little.
In fact, the currency of this world was still using small silver coins. The great silver coins were used by the trade caravan to settle the bill.
As for the golden eagle, it was purely a trade currency between countries. Great merchants and great merchants, top noble and top noble.
Each person could get 500 great silver coins. They could go to other human countries to buy a house, marry a wife, and live a good life. They would not have to worry about it for the rest of their lives.
Even if they ate and drank freely, they would not have to worry about anything for three to five years. At worst, they could just come back to the river and become water bandits. They would be very familiar with it anyway!
Of course, after having lived as water bandits for so long, no one was willing to keep risking their lives again.
Now was the time, everyone were excited. They planned to take advantage of the night to defeat the enemy in the upcoming battle. If they won this battle, they would be reborn in the future. A great day was waiting for them!
“Wu –”
A short horn sounded.
This was the pre-arranged signal. In the farms and logging fields nearby, groups of regular troops appeared.
Fifty knights, Three hundred knight attendants, and 1,000 elite lance soldiers.
The troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
They were all wearing mail armor, and even the lance soldiers were the same. In terms of equipment, the regular troops of the Silver Platter Kingdom were undoubtedly stronger than the Dukedom of Leo by a level.
Behind them were nearly 5,000 rascals of the Resniston River. Their equipment was uneven. Mail armor, chain armor, scale armor, leather armor, gambeson, and even some who wore a thick leather coat.
As for weapons, longsword, short sword, machete, handaxe, short spear, short sword, dagger, and so on, there were even more. There were also quite a number of shields that were pieced together from pieces of wood.
A group of vicious bandits had gathered together, a motley of weak crew.
Just as they were moving, three desert bandits got on their horses and left on the opposite side of a hill not far away.
However, among the group of bandits, there were more than 300 people with different expressions. They walked at the back and sent a few people to the back at the same time. Soon, they became cavalry and ran in a big circle toward Kant’s temporary camp.